What You Need to Know About the ‘Snapchat Drug’

They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but the Snapchat smartphone app would surely disagree after a dangerous synthetic drug began using its name and trademarked logo.

The Snapchat drug hit the streets of Darwin, Australia over the weekend, each pill clearly stamped with the popular app’s signature ghost logo.

The Snapchat drug wasted no time in showing its teeth, sending at least four Australians to the emergency room shortly after swallowing a small amount of the synthetic concoction. According to a report in the Daily Telegraph, Darwin police were called to a disturbance “of people behaving in an erratic and irrational manner.”

One partygoer later told NT News: “I have seen two full-grown, heavy-set men taken to hospital last night due to ingesting these. People will die this weekend if something isn’t said.”

What Do We Know About the Snapchat Drug?

As with many new synthetic drugs, it takes time to figure out exactly what’s in these drugs. Since Snapchat made its debut less than a week ago, information is scarce. Here’s what we know so far:

• Snapchat pills reportedly come in two colors: pink and blue/green.
• Experts believe Snapchat pills are “pressed ecstasy tablets” made from a variety of notoriously dangerous ingredients.
• Even small doses of Snapchat can elicit major adverse reactions.
• No one knows what’s in the pills or how it will affect them.

Will Snapchat Go Global?

As of now, Snapchat hasn’t made its way to United States consumers. However, the DEA remains on high alert, noting five new synthetic drugs flood the U.S. market every month. The recent Australian hospitalizations are part of a global epidemic directly related to synthetic drugs. Additional examples include:

• Three deaths occurred last month in Indiana after taking NBOMe.
• Synthetic marijuana caused a laundry list of physical and mental health problems among inmates at 28 prisons across the UK.
• Police in Mankato, Minnesota suspect a synthetic drug called 2C is responsible for at least two deaths.
• Involuntary manslaughter charges have been filed against a Kansas City teen after providing another teen with synthetic drugs that later killed him.

Learn more about new synthetic and designer drugs in the United States.